


Pretty For U

by SevenCandlesticks



Category: Apink, B.A.P, Infinite (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Friendship, Glasses, High School, Romance, True Love, becoming pretty, cute and fluffy, this is also super cheesy, this was a writing request I did at AFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 13:19:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15582867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevenCandlesticks/pseuds/SevenCandlesticks
Summary: Chorong musters up the courage to finally confess to her long time crush, only to be brutally rejected and humiliated. But with the help of her childhood friend, she will not only regain her lost confidence, she'll even feel pretty, too!





	Pretty For U

**Author's Note:**

> A writing request I did for Pokelantis at Asian Fanfics. I was given the whole story in a nutshell from beginning to end, and it was fun to write! It's rather cheesy, I admit, but I am so proud of it anyway! I hope you folks here at AO3 will enjoy it, too ^^

* * *

 

 

Today was the day.

Chorong looked in the mirror, rehearsing to herself over and over what she was going to say.

“Ahem…” she cleared her throat, composing herself. “Hoya…. I like you.”

Sighing, she moaned to herself. This was absolutely embarrassing!

“Hoya…. I-I…” she covered her face, cheeks turning beet red.

What was she getting so worked up about? Why, she was planning to confess her feelings to her long time crush, Lee Howon (whom everybody likes to call Hoya). She’s already attempted a few times before, but chickened out the last minute.

Waving her finger in front of the mirror, she scolded herself. “Okay Park Chorong, listen up! There’s no reason you shouldn’t have a chance compared to all the other girls. Sure, they may be prettier or more popular, but you got _confidence!_ You never know unless you try, got that?”

Feeling all fired up, Chorong adjusted her glasses and grabbed her books, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “Fighting!”

Saying goodbye to her mother, Chorong rushed out the door, wasting no time on breakfast. She wanted to make sure she arrived to school early so there was plenty of time to see Hoya. No backing out this time, she told herself. This time, she’d finally say it.

After a short bus ride, she arrived on campus with more than enough time before class starts. Already she could feel her heart flutter, and she hadn’t even seen him yet!

Clutching her books to her chest, she exhaled deeply. “Okay Chorong, just relax. You got this.”

She walked calmly, with elegance, down the walkway and into the school. The hallway was fairly bustling with students putting things in their locker or chatting with fellow classmates. She kept her senses sharp; the moment she sees Hoya, she’s going to go up to him. She’s going to tell him. No running for the hills, that’s what cowards do.

Perhaps her senses were _too sharp_ on the target, as she ended up bumping into someone, causing her to drop all her books. Moaning, she dropped to her knees to gather them all up. “Sorry!”

The person she bumped into crouched down as well, handing her one of her books. When she looked up, she smiled. “Himchan!”

They both stood up as she took the book, and she quickly apologized. “Sorry, I uh… I thought I was paying attention, but…”

“Your mind is elsewhere?”

She laughed nervously to herself. “Y-Yeah…”

Himchan has been a friend of hers since they were children. No matter what the situation, he always had her back. Fate seemed to agree to their everlasting friendship, since even when Chorong had to move, blessed luck had Himchan eventually transferred to the same school.

“Ah, sorry to cut this short, but um, I have to be somewhere.” she quickly told him.

He tilted his head slightly, stuffing his hand in his pant pocket. “To see Hoya?”

“M-Maybe…”

He slightly sighed, knowing exactly what was going to go down, but mustered a smile anyway.

“Good luck.” he gave her a couple pats on the back. “Tell him this time, OK?”

She nodded, feeling the temperature rise in her cheeks.

Seeing her like this caused Himchan’s smile to broaden. Despite the many failed attempts, he was confident that she would actually say something this time.

After the two parted, Chorong saw Hoya open his locker. She quickly turned a corner, laying her back against the wall, hoping he didn’t see her. It was so weird, she could feel her heart pump harder and faster. This would typically be when she made a run for it, telling herself another day. But no… not this time!

Taking a deep breath, Chorong marched over there by Hoya’s side. There was definitely no turning back now.

“U-Um… good morning, Hoya.”

“Hm?” he turned his head to notice her standing there. “Oh, good morning.”

“Hoya, I…” she fiddled with the ends of her hair as she tried her best to ease the words out of her mouth. “So uh, I wanted to… say something. I’ve been putting it off for so long, but I…”

At this point, Hoya’s attention was grabbed. He supported his body with one hand against the locker, looking down at her.

“I just… wanted to tell you that, well… I’ve admired you for a long time. You’re so cool and amazing, and I…. I really _like_ you, Hoya.”

“Like me?” he repeated that as if he was shocked.

She nodded, shutting her eyes tightly. “Very much.”

Hoya was silent for a moment, but that only lasted about a second. Slowly, the sound of laughter was building up, until he was full on hysterical. This sudden action caused Chorong to take a step back.

“Chorong, I’m sorry, but…” he eyed her from head to toe. At this point all eyes were locked on them, as if Hoya was purposely wanting to make an example. “Did you really think you’d have a chance with me? I mean, look at you!”

He inched slightly closer, running his fingers over the top of her frames. “Did you seriously choose the thickest rims they had? You obviously don’t give a damn about how you look. Well, there’s probably not much you can do about that anyway.”

A chorus of snickers erupted amongst the other students. The way Hoya looked at her, mocking her in front of everyone—it was devastating. Tears welled up in her eyes as the mockery continued, until she couldn’t take it anymore and ran.

He could’ve been nice about it, she thought. He didn’t have to mock her looks like that. She knew she wasn’t the prettiest girl in the world, she knew she looked like a total nerd, from appearance to even how she carried herself. But he could’ve turned her down nicely!

When classes began, she was absolutely miserable until lunch period. She didn’t even have an appetite. After being so badly humiliated, she just curled up in a crevice somewhere whilst everyone else went to the cafeteria.

Nobody heard her. She was all alone.

Getting through the rest of classes was a nightmare as well, but somehow she trudged through it. Luckily, she didn’t have any extra classes, like some of the other students, so she could go home. In such a state, she probably would’ve ditched those classes even if she had them, despite her good record as an upstanding student.

There was only one person she could lean on.

Her one and only friend, Kim Himchan.

* * *

 

The two sat outside under an umbrella’d table of a local coffee shop, slurping iced coffees. Himchan listened intently to his friend as she described in intricate detail about what happened this morning. By the end of it, she couldn’t hold her tears anymore and allowed them to stream.

“He was just _so mean!”_ she cried. “I get if he doesn’t reciprocate my feelings, that would have been OK. I anticipated that. But to insult my looks and embarrass me in front of everyone is just… just…”

Listening to the entire story caused Himchan to seethe. “What a jackass.”

“Yeah!” Chorong slammed her coffee down in agreement to Himchan’s statement. “I may be an ugly nerd, but at least I’m nice!”

Himchan almost choked on his drink. “Waitwaitwait, please don’t tell me you really think that.”

“Think what?”

“That you’re an ugly nerd.”

She pouted. “Well, I mean… Hoya wasn’t wrong about how I look, it was just _mean_ of him to say it out loud.”

This only made Himchan despise Hoya more. “So he killed your confidence too, huh?”

“Huh?”

Himchan reached out his hand and placed it over hers. “You’re really going to allow that jerk to be right?”

She teared up a little more. “But the thing is, he was never wrong! If I didn’t look like this, maybe he’d like me! Nobody can look past this, no one!”

_‘I can….’_

That’s what Himchan thought in his head, but he kept it to himself.

Clearly, Chorong was really hurting from this rejection. Not only was her feelings not reciprocated, but she saw Hoya’s true colors. And to make it ten times worse, she was publicly humiliated. Now she was left feeling broken and worthless. Himchan was not going to stand for that, he wanted her to feel confident again. No, he wanted her to feel more than just confident, he wanted her to feel _beautiful._

“Show him.”

“Huh?” Chorong was a bit confused by that statement.

“Show him that he’s wrong.” he leaned closer. “Change things up a bit. Try a different style.”

Her eyes widened, but were sparkling. “You mean like a makeover?”

He smirked a bit. “Something like that.”

She frowned. “That sounds expensive though.”

“Not if we do it ourselves.” he pulled out his phone and brought up a video streaming website. “Look, there’s a ton of beauty and fashion tutorials at our disposal. We can look at these for inspiration.”

“Hmm... maybe, but I don’t know if I want to wear too heavy of makeup.”

He looked at her and shook his head. “Your face is fine, if any is used, it’ll be really light.”

For some reason, that statement made her cheeks flush a bit. “Still’s going to cost a lot of money, even if we do it ourselves.”

“For me, maybe. Not you.”

“What? Why?”

He smiled warmly. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Haaaa, Himchan! You don’t have to do this! I’m fine with how I look, really!”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be agreeing with Hoya’s statement.” Himchan’s voice sounded a bit sad when he said this. “I want you to prove him wrong. The moment you show up, he’ll fall to his knees as if a _goddess_ descended in front of his unworthy ass.”

“Pfft..” Chorong tried to hold it in, but lost it to laughter. “Haha, okay. You convinced me. It might be fun!”

* * *

 

The rest of the day was spent studying videos and buying various materials to transform Chorong’s appearance.

“Should I try lipstick?” Chorong asked, holding one up.

“Yeah, but not that color.” Himchan took the stick and threw it back in the pile, picking up another shade. “This will work better.”

She nodded, taking it into her shopping basket. Now that makeup supplies were done, next was hair. They went through numerous care products that would help her hair to look shiny and wavy.

Next step was applying what they learned. There were a few steps for her hair she had to do by herself that evening, but everything else she was able to have Himchan’s assistance early that morning before school. He came to her house before dawn even broke to help get her ready.

“How much of this are you supposed to apply?” Chorong held up one of the containers with a dusting brush.

“Maybe we should watch the video again.” Himchan got out his phone, and they proceeded to do just that.

They followed step by step instructions on how to apply the makeup. Like Himchan said, she’d probably only need a light amount, though Chorong doubted herself as she put it on. To make things go faster, she asked Himchan to comb and style her hair whilst she applied. He felt a little weird at first, but this was for Chorong, and it’s not like anyone was there to make fun of him for this.

“I don’t have to wear contacts, do I?” Chorong really hated the idea of putting things in her eyes, that’s why she always wore glasses.

“You’re just near-sighted, right?”

“Yeah. It’s not like the world is a giant blur, I just can’t see what they write on the board very well…”

“Then keep it in your pocket and just use it in class.”

“Mm, right.” she nodded, applying the finishing touches. “Okay, done! How do I look?”

“.....”

That silence wasn’t making Chorong feel confident. She frowned, “I look stupid, don’t I?”

Himchan shook his head, still unable to utter a word.

Still, she frowned. “Hnnng… if you have nothing to say, Hoya will have worse.”

“Yeah. You’ll send him to his knees.”

* * *

 

The moment Chorong walked through the gates that morning, heads were turning, both male and female. Who is that, people would say to each other. Is _that_ really Park Chorong?

Porcelain skin, sweet lips, wavy hair, intriguing eyes… the entire school was in sheer awe. All this sudden attention made her feel a little shy, but she felt something she’s never felt before.

_Pretty._

She felt overwhelmingly pretty and boosting with confidence. And it’s all thanks to Himchan.

He’s always been there for her. He wasn’t just a shoulder to cry on, he was a man of action, too. He did more than comfort her, he helped her fight back and _show them._ Together, right now, as he marched behind her, they were showing them.

Park Chorong was glowing. This was a glow Himchan had always seen in her, but rarely did it ever shine bright enough for anyone else to notice… including herself. This is what you missed, Lee Howon. This is the girl that _you_ rejected.  

Oh, but Hoya wasn’t one to really regret anything. If he made a mistake, he’d smooth things over. He was good at that. He was cool, charismatic, and magnetic. Charming, in every sense of the word. If the school wasn’t so strict with its policies, he’d probably have his own fanclub somewhere.

The moment he laid eyes on Chorong, he was shocked. Who was that girl? It couldn’t have been that unkempt nerd that confessed to him yesterday. She suddenly transformed into the prettiest girl in school!

That’s the sort of woman he wants next to him. Stunning, eye-catching, _glowing._

Before they even reached the school doors, Hoya approached her, awestruck. “Chorong…”

“H-Hoya?” she felt all fluttery inside when he stood before her.

“Aheh, wow… you look…” he couldn’t find any words, he was _that_ shocked.

“…pretty?” she tried finishing his sentence.

“That works.” he quickly cleared his throat. “Listen, uh… after school, do you want to do something?”

“Do something?” No way, was _Hoya_ asking _her_ to do something with him?

“Yeah. And maybe several times after that.”

He was asking her to date him, wasn’t he?

For a moment, that felt nice. Hoya, whom she’s crushed on since Junior High, was asking her on a date. Maybe he even wanted her to be his girlfriend!

So…

… why was her blood _boiling_ instead?

She scoffed at him. “No.”

He was confused. He wasn’t used to hearing that word. “What?”

“I said _no._ I don’t want to date you. You’re gross. Go away.”

“Excuse me?!”

“Yeah! You’re mean and insensitive and I don’t want to go out with a jerk like _you.”_

Okay, now Hoya was getting pissed. “I thought you said you _liked me._ Were you lying?”

She faltered a bit. “N-No, but…”

“Then come on.” he took her hand, as if he was some kind of gentleman. “You deserve someone worthy of you.”

Chorong froze. Feeling the warmth of his hand made her heart stop, but it caused it to _hurt_ too. She broke free of his grip, standing her ground. “No. I don’t want you.”

“Then whose all this effort for, anyway?” Hoya tilted his head toward Himchan. “That guy who looks as if he’s been a teacher here for many years?”

“Tch…” Himchan seethed hearing those words. He refrained from retorting, but he couldn’t hide his distaste for Hoya.

But if anyone was truly angry about that comment, it was Chorong. She crossed her arms, glaring daggers at Hoya. “You think I became pretty for _you?_ Well, you’re wrong! I became pretty for _Himchan_ because a handsome man deserves a pretty girl!”

At this moment, everyone froze.

Chorong walked up to Himchan and slowly took his glasses off, revealing a visual that challenged Hoya’s. But that wasn’t even the shocking part.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for a _passionate kiss._

Her lips were soft and sweet, Himchan wasn’t expecting such a bold action from her. But the moment they parted, he wanted to taste it again. He kissed her back and held her tightly while doing so.

Hoya stood there in shock, as did everyone else. Nobody had seen such a brilliant kiss before. Didn’t things like this only happen in dramas?

“Come on, we need to stay good students and get to class.”

Chorong said this whilst taking Himchan’s hand, heading into the school building. Hoya’s gaze followed them, still taken aback by what happened. He really screwed up big time.

* * *

 

Despite the event earlier, school proceeded normally. Not that today’s event didn’t circulate amongst the chatter of various students, but neither Chorong or Himchan were bothered by it. Many people were still shocked by Chorong’s transformation, and now were even awestruck by Himchan.

When school ended and the two were preparing to leave the grounds, Himchan had to ask her something.

“Chorong.”

“Yeah?” she turned to look at him.

“Why’d you, uh…” he was a bit embarrassed to even say it. He scratched the back of his head, still contemplating not only on the kiss, but what she said prior to it. “You were defending me. I appreciate it.”

“I meant it.” Chorong couldn’t even look at him saying this, her face felt so flushed. “I didn’t want a makeover. I know that Hoya would only notice me for my looks, so why bother?”

Himchan sighed. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “No. I am happy I did it. You’ve always been there for me, like an angel. You don’t care about how I look, you never did. The makeover was because you wanted _me_ to feel pretty. I’m stupid for falling for Hoya when you were there this whole time! It made me want to become pretty…for _you.”_

He didn’t know what to say.

You know, fate was always funny when it came to them. It made sure they found each other, even when the odds were against them. He wondered himself how he kept finding her without even trying, but maybe this was why.

Words weren’t enough.

He just smiled warmly at her and pulled her into a tight embrace, never wanting to let her go.

She became pretty for him….

…but he knew she was always pretty from the start.

Hoya made a big mistake. But his loss is Himchan’s gain, his loss was Chorong’s eye-opener.

It’s nice to have someone who will never leave you, no matter what. To love you for you, and nothing else. This is what Chorong always had, and will continue to have.

For the rest of her life.

**Author's Note:**

> Poster graphic credits;  Made by me via GIMP. Chorong render by pineapplejej at dA. Chorong (in hoodie) render by Suncucheoo at dA. Himchan render by zekavicalmilica at dA. Hoya image found via search. Glasses from openclipart and Emily-Harmonia from dA. Pink flower from openclipart. Poleroid frames, notepaper, and flower circle from Pixabay.
> 
> \- The prompt was a high school AU starring Apink's Chorong as a nerdy girl confessing to her crush, Infinite's Hoya, but gets rejected due to her looks, and then is comforted by her childhood friend, B.A.P's Himchan, who takes her to get a makeover. She wows the school when she shows up the next day and Hoya even asks her out, but she rejects him. Hoya insults Himchan's looks, then Chorong takes off his glasses and they kiss. That's a condensed and uninteresting version of the prompt, haha, I really loved this prompt though, so I was honored to write it~


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